North Brunswick tops Croatan 9-2 in baseball playoffs

BROAD CREEK | Croatan became just the latest team to discover it’s tough to beat someone three times in one season Saturday – especially if the foe is a league rival.

Clearly determined to avoid a third defeat at the hands of their East Central Conference brethren from a game-opening ground-rule double to a game-ending rundown after a base running mistake by the Cougars, the 11th-seeded Scorpions downed No. 6 Croatan 9-2 in the second round of the NCHSAA 2-A baseball playoffs.

“It was one of them days, and that happens in baseball,” said Croatan assistant Austin Long, speaking for head coach Sean Coley, who generally doesn’t talk to the media after games. “It happens in the pros. It happens in college, and it happens a lot more in high school.

“It’s really, really difficult to beat a team three times. That definitely drove them..., and maybe it worked opposite for us today. But, hey, what can you say? It’s the game of baseball.”

North Brunswick (15-10), which had lost at home 7-4 to Croatan on March 15 and on the road 5-0 on April 19, advances to the third round at third-seeded Fairmont (22-6). Croatan finishes 16-7.

“Our guys wanted this one real bad, and so did I ,” North Brunswick coach Dustin Medlin said. “I am super ecstatic for them. They did it. They showed up and rose to the challenge.”

It was, in many ways, one of those days for the Cougars – and just North Brunswick’s day.

Jaheed Cason led off the game with a ground-rule double against right-hander Fred Stewart (8-2), who never seemed comfortable on the mound before being lifted with two outs in the second. Before that, however, Stewart walked Jaylin Perkins and Trey Parrish with one out before Arthur Harris ripped a two-run single into left for a 2-0 lead.

“Our spark plug is Jaheed Cason. He started the game off with a double and didn’t stop from there,” Medlin said. “We got after it.”

The Cougars got one run back in the bottom of the inning. Collin Morris, who was 3-for 4 with a double, led off with a single, stole second and scored on an error.

But the Scorpions got that run back and more in the second, bringing home four runs. The big blow was a three-run double into deep center field by Parrish, who was 3-for-3 and also picked up the win on the mound while allowing just one earned run.

That hit chased Stewart.

“They knew they were getting Fred, and they were ready for him,” Long said. “He didn’t have his best stuff tonight. But he tried to battle through it the best he could.”

Medlin said his team’s goal was “to get Stewart off the mound” as early as possible.

“And that’s what we did. He didn’t have his best stuff today,” Medlin added. “I hate to be on record saying this, but the two times we played him ... the home plate umpire had a big zone and tonight he had a tiny zone and I think it played in our advantage.”

From there, the Cougars were stymied by Parrish on the mound and in the field.

In the fifth with one run already in, Croatan had runners at second and third after a double steal with two outs. But Parrish got his first strikeout on a curve that had Ian Ramirez out front like it was a change-up.

Then in the sixth Parrish, having been relieved and now playing shortstop, made a diving catch of a line drive by John Keel and then from his knees flipped the ball to second baseman Zeke Walker for a force out at second for an inning-ending double play.

“Everything was slow motion,” Parrish said. “I happened to be in the right place and make the play at the right time.”

And while everything seemed to go right for the Scorpions, little did for the Cougars.

“Obviously disappointing,” Long said. “Not the way we had envisioned ending the year. But at the end of the day only one team in the state is going to end with a win. Sad it can’t be us, but it shouldn’t take away from the great season we had, the great four years this senior class has had. They’ve been apart of some great things here.”